Podcasts about Redefining Realness

Cold openWelcome to the Treatment Funhouse…First room. Guy in a jumpsuit, “We gotta strap ya in.” He waves at a chair. “Safety,” he says in a bored voice.So you sit. You really want… something… different in your miserable life.[Brief music]Suddenly he snaps manacles on your wrists. Then behind you he grabs a blowtorch…[music]IntroThis is AutisticAF Out Loud, Season 7, episode 1. Today, I find moments of joy… after some brutal ones.Like Leonard Cohen sang in Suzanne, “among the garbage and the flowers.”I'm Johnny Profane. Startled awake. Taking a new direction. And writing a neurodivergent autobiography… out loud.Content note: Mentions abuse, trauma, suicidality... and dark humor.Just one autistic elder's voice. Raw.3 fragments from my free archive, autisticaf.me… I'll tell you more at the break.[music]Welcome to the Treatment FunhouseBeing trapped in the medical model of autism for decades?Imagine an elaborate carnival funhouse… the kind that's a maze. You gotta find your way out. But…This one's got a horror theme.The sign outside… “23 Mirrored Rooms That Will Change Your Life… Forever!”Never saw that before.So you stand in the long wait line. That, naturally, doubles back on itself. Many times.Finally, you belly up to the barker's ticket window. Start to scan the price board.“125 bucks?” You cry out.“You wanna change yer life, kid? Whatchya think it would cost?”So you sigh. You think…You need… different. You fork over.First room. Guy in a jumpsuit, “We gotta strap ya in.” He waves at the chair. “Safety,” he says in a bored voice.So you sit. You really want… well, something… different in your miserable life.Suddenly, he snaps manacles on your wrists. Then behind you, he grabs a blowtorch.You see this scene reflected in all the mirrors. In detail. Enhanced by all your grisly memories.You protest. “What the actual fuck.”“Trust me. This is the latest research. Sure as hell gonna change your life.” That smile. Thin. Cold. Professional. “We got paying customers outside. Lined up. Waiting to get inside. You in… or out.”You reflect on your miserable life. You nod.Then he slowly, methodically works you over. A light burn here. Another there. Starting at your feet. Working upwards.You scream. You cry. You plead. You evade. You bargain. Not a word out of Jumpsuit Guy.And… the only way you can block out the terror reflected in those mirrors?Close your eyes…He finishes. He unshackles you. Helps you up as you tremble. Guides you efficiently to the door.“Next room. Room of Knives. Yer gonna love it,” he laughs.“Just 22 to go.” Leans in… conspiratorially. Whispers in my ear…“Wait til the Meds room. Everybody talks about the Meds Room.”Beat.“If you make it there.”musicInterludeOkay, then. A fun little… metaphor. Now… some dark reality. Family… and professionals… tossed off what I was going through in my late teens as “immaturity.” Something I'd age out of. Totally ignoring all the red danger flags of the coming disaster.Quick side note. Some folks wrote you couldn't read articles. Multiple platform problems… demands you subscribe… pestering friends, even if they used a“free” link.I heard ya . So, I built my free personal archive at autisticaf.me. No paywall. No ads to piss ya off. All free & shareable… on me.You'll find more pieces like this next one… there. — The Autistic Treatment Funhouse, Room of ExamsThey Called It Immaturity. They Missed Everything.Content note: This is the tough one I mentioned. With the brutal flowers.Look, first of all… This is not the beginning of a poor-me story.This is a story of how I found moments of joy… and darkness… in my autistic life. Like Leonard Cohen sang in Suzanne, “among the garbage and the flowers.”But I found dark humor... every where.1972 was a hell of a summer… Room 1I first sought a diagnosis at 19. Following suicide attempt #1.I was driving after dark. Which I wasn't supposed to do… new family rule.See, I'd damaged our car the week before, making a hasty turn into our driveway near Jumping Deer Road in Katonah. Hit the damn stone wall on the way in.This was Westchester County, NY. Local code only allowed a nano break between the 18th-Century stones guarding our yard. Colonial heritage or something… masking slave labor.I'm in the doghouse. With parents already skeptical about letting me go to college. Not “mature” enough.Yet, when the hood and fender are finally fixed? They drop me off on a muggy, hazy June night. Out in the boonies at the old Amawak Service Center on Route 202.“Pick it up and bring it home. No side stops.” Then they instruct me, “Be… careful.” Rolling their collective 4 eyes.I pull out, then wait. The light's gotta change at the 4-lane intersection with Route 35 before I can head home.The light turns green. I go into a weird space in my head. There's… there's some reason I shouldn't turn left… yet… But I watch myself shrug, flick my signal switch, and turn. Right into two lanes of accelerating traffic coming right at me.Don't remember much more. Just the red, don't-turn-yet-idiot arrow. Staring at me brightly… through the windshield that used to be there.I survived. That classic, white 1965 Mustang… didn't. Barely street legal, 271-horse V8 under the hood. Maybe the most collectible American car of all time.A hand-me-down gift to our family from my father's father. Who bragged, “I had to jew the dealer down from 5 grand,” back when he bought it new in '65. A lot of money then.Um, things got tense at home.“You are responsible for your own actions. You are the cause here.”Parental meeting time.“Uh, I don't know what happened.” I couldn't stand these “meetings.” So many in my childhood. This was maybe the worst of all.“I don't know. It… it... just happened.”Making my parents even more furious. These were avid Ayn Rand readers. And my grandfather? He slept beside an orderly nightstand. Mein Kampf tucked tightly in its tidy drawer. My dead father's voice echoes coldly in my mind still. “You are responsible for your own actions. You are the cause here.” But, I stumble on. Making things worse… in my way.“Something's wrong. I don't know what. I'm having horrible visions. Hitting people with the car as I drive by. Hitting their bodies… bones…” I trail off. Into stony silence, I say, “And now something weird happened. I think… I think… maybe I should see a doctor…”Next thing I know, I'm sitting in front of a Westchester County caseworker. Cuz my parents felt a psychologist or private therapist cost too much.I had no idea what I was feeling… much less why.The intake experience was horrific.I felt… badgered.She called it… delicately. “Maybe the accident looked like an attempt to… maybe… harm yourself?” But she continued with a sledgehammer.“I know you have a secret you want to tell me.” Rinse, repeat… Rinse, repeat…I wanted so badly to please her. But had no idea what I was feeling… much less why.Worse yet? There were things I didn't want to tell her. Darker than the physical or sexual abuse she was probably check-listing. Things a traumatized kid might do… himself.I never went back. I told my parents I was uncomfortable talking to her.My dad rocked back in his dark, maple, Early American dining room chair. “Fine. That's your choice.”He paused. Looking directly at my mother as he said to me, “I can see you won't speak to this counselor. I see no reason to look for another for you to talk to. Your decision.”And that was that.We were all dying for freedom.Finally at 63, a psychologist specializing in autism gave me another name, Alexithymia.He said a lot of autistics can know something is wrong. But not know what. And baptized me, Autism Spectrum Disorder… with a side of ADHD.2016 was a good year. A damn fine year.But 1972 was a summer from hell.The last US troops shipped home, fleeing Viet Nam. Palestinians massacred Israelis at the Olympics. My father died that August. The week after he molested me for the last time.We were all dying for freedom.[music]Cuz… if you don't know us… how ya gonna love us.InterludeOkay. Here's the last frag I toss… today. Let's end with joyful moments. Among the dark. Let's end with survival.See, I'm giving you these fragments of my life…Cuz… if you don't know us… how ya gonna love us.And this is part of me, too…[music]I Don't Think I Had a “Personality” as a KidI was busy finding Infinity in a burnt-off ant leg…This one brings home the stakes.The moments of joy along the way… that drew a line under what could have been. Not if they fixed me. But maybe what all of our children could be.If we just listen to them. And support what they say they need.“What are you doing…?”My mother's voice was sharp.I'm lying spreadeagled on the backyard grass, face down.“I've called you three times.” Annoyed. “WHAT are you doing…?”I don't know it in Second Grade… But I have difficulties shifting attention when I'm lost in thought…I try to focus my ears…Then think back,review my short-term memory,and replay the last few moments.Trying to hear and translate anything she might have said while I'm in my private thought bubble…Already at 7, this process of “rehearsing” or “rewinding the tape” to interpret what's going on? It's an automatic, constant routine when I'm around… well, people.Checking for verbal mistakes, missed cues… Just trying to understand, what's going on…?So I'm still trying to sort it out,choose words carefully to explain,clearing my throat,moving my sleeping tongue,loosening my jaw,getting ready to speak…“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”“Umm… Nothing…?” Close as I come to a lie at that age.I've been lying in the grass for an hour or so, exploring with my new magnifying glass.See, there was this great hobby shop in Johnson City. It had all kinds of cool science “toys.” And I had saved my 50-cent allowance for weeks to buy a “Real, hand-held, magnifying glass  —  made with ALL-METAL handle!!”I was entranced.Examining grass leaves, dew drops, and…Ants.Dozens of ants. One after another.Legs.Antennae.Mandibles.Eyes.Guiltily burning off the occasional leg with focused sunlight…Endless fascination…I was in the flow…“Okay. Whatever you are doing…” I wait for the command I know will end my timeless bliss… “Stop doing it. It's time for lunch.”I sigh. Roll over.And. Trudge. In.Hardly sounds like abuse, right…..??Imagine that last, delicious dream you're enjoying as you drowse in a warm snuggly bed… when you don't have to get up…My autistic joys are hard to explain to another person.Pretty much ANY non-autistic person.And trying to… drags me into Deep Philosophical Waters…Imagine that last, delicious dream you're enjoying as you drowse in a warm snuggly bed on a lazy Saturday morning when you don't have to get up…And someone screams, “GET UP!”Eyes pop open. Instantly. You're so startled, for a minute… you have no idea where you are, what you're doing, the time of day, the season…Now… imagine that… if you can…Every. Damn. Day. Many, many, MANY times a day… Every single day of your childhood.Torture.Being startled out of the flow? It's like that.Capisce? Ya dig? Feel me?That's as close as I can think of to explain my moments of autistic flow.Or, better yet, my autistic joys.That same joy you seeon an autistic kid's faceas he dances endlesslyin a sprinkler in the sun…If I had to guess, this is precisely what Being in the Moment, in the Now, maybe even Zen Satori…Mean.Gradually as I aged, these blissful moments became fewer and fewer…Now, that's all preamble to what I really wanna talk about…Here's the deal on Flow…I think that's where I spent most of my time as a young kid.When I wasn't interacting with family, a few schoolmates, parents, one teacher a year… the few humans I let into my life back then.And that time alone… Endlessly exploring, learning, feeling, being… was…Wordless delight.Gradually as I aged, these blissful moments became fewer and fewer… further and further and further apart… nearly gone…First, I was forced into a school system… That I was clearly not wired for.Rigid.Lockstep.Regimented.Regulated.BORING.No Free Time.To simply… explore.Later, of course, it got MUCH worse. Jobs, relationships, finances… Life in Modern Adult America.Like when I founded Unix World magazine. I was so high on the concept and the joy of process… My inner vision won us awards our first year. Western Publishing Association Best New Publication and Best Issue. Beating out Macworld and PC World.Yeah. We won awards. A couple months after I was fired from my own mag. Fired because… in my autistic mind… the game was Create the Most Amazing Publication… Ever.But the whole time, the world was shouting that it was Make the Most Money You Can… Right Now.Snake eyes. I lost.My natural state, left alone to my own devices? Wandering from moment to moment of… fascination.Now, I have some personal speculation to get off my chest.First… I don't think I had a native personality when I was a kid…At least not as bell-curve average humans understand a personality.My natural state, left alone to my own devices? Wandering from moment to moment of fascination. No motivations. No intentions. No (verbal) thought…So… I was either happy exploring in the fields… or with my chemistry set in the basement… or catching polliwogs in Spring pools…Or I was forced to don my “personality.”In other words,the language,facial expressions,body language,polite responses,social lies,and predictable actionsthat humans think of as “personality”…and that social contact demands.Which is so natural for most humans, they aren't even aware of it.Even though they must have it from me… to feel safe.But, for me, “personality” was likebeing dragged out of my comfy pajamas,forced intothe worst, most cumbersome, restrictive, awkward, embarrassing winter coat,ear muffs,muffler,heavy snow boots,and mittensyour mother ever stuffed you intoto shove you onto that bus to kindergarten…And “personality” still is suffocating. Today. In my 70s. Ten years after diagnosed as autistic and ADHD.Especially, “fun times”… They're the real killers.Parties.Intimate conversations…Shudder... Family holidays? So nightmarish, I wrote the 7-page narrative poem sneaking my mother's creepy g-d on high.These are all times I must adopt my “personality.” You know, to survive. No matter how much “fun” they're supposed to be.What pros call “masking”? Really nothing more than exhausting habits of behavior & speech. That I must shroud myself in. Like an embalmed mummy. Just so it's easy for other humans… to feel “comfortable” around me.Not an essential Self. Just, ya know, “personality.”Certainly not me. Nothing comfortable about it.I'm going to hazard a guess.Which may be narcissistic delusion… Flow seems awfully close to what the Buddha described as experiencing “no-self” vs. the “conditioned mind.”From at least age 2 on, I clearly remember lucid dreaming and long periods of time spent without verbal thought of any kind. Just perceiving, in awe and wonder…EVERYTHING.Until I had to interact with humans. Any humans. Even those I was required… to “love.”And donning the “personality”? The joy collapsed. Fast as a quantum waveform when you try to measure it. Not into pain…Collapsing into an all-absorbing effort.Intellectualizing every word,gesture,tone of voice of my own…Then interpreting all those of each and every human I was with at the time…and THEN determining precisely the right word,tone of voice,facial expression,and body attitude to project back…all at the same timeTo avoid being in trouble.Because I was… Bad.And I had to protect everyone around me from that.Every. Single. Second…And even at a young age, a growing sense of the need to protect others…From me.Because I was different. Because I hurt people without understanding. Because I acted as if I were “arrogant”… etc., etc.Like two divorces. Cuz I could be amazing for 3 to 6 months. Caring. Fun as hell. Then fall into deep depressions and work burnouts. Cuz I couldn't handle that much intimacy. Hell, that much time alone with another human…Because I was… Bad.And I had to protect everyone around me from that.Every. Single. Second… That I am with another human.Except very young children. And of course, animals… Since I was… 4 years old.Now since diagnosis, I found a few tricks.In 2019 when I first started writing about my autism, I was all about lists. Trying to “help” others. Took me a year or two to realize we are… every one of us autists… different. Different lives. Different needs and goals. Different survival skills.So I'm only an “expert” on my own life. Even if I am the only expert on that there is.Your mileage certainly will vary.But for me? My autistic life is not about “getting better.” Or fixing me. It's about knowing who I truly am. And what I truly need. Doing what I can to meet those needs.Then being… me.So I moved to the Country…Living in the trailer across the courtyardFrom my third, loving wifeWhere I can reduce sensory overload.Reduce the number of humans I talk with To only folks I feel comfortable around.And stopped failing at jobs I was never built to do.But I… now… can pursue those things that have brought me joy since childhood.Spending unstructured, unmeasured time on any of my passions…walking in the wildest Nature I have access to,baking bread,fermenting pickles,gardening,deep-focus while replaying a favorite movie… that seventh time,illustrating,writing,playing music,researching world events….so, so many others.When I pursue a “special interest”… alone? Sometimes it's nearly orgasmic… In fact, I've redefined my understanding of my passions.They're not a forbidden pleasure. A shameful quirk. Something I “waste time on” when there's nothing more important to do.They are my gateway to Bliss, Satori, Oneness… Maybe even whatever God is… or Isn't…I'm not talking toxic positivity. My autistic joys aren't some advanced spiritual state I've achieved in my 70s. And now, suddenly… I'm here to tell you how to make everything okay. And talk you into buying your 5th NEW self-help system on the way out the door.But my joys are moments of love and happiness sprinkled through most of my days. Between meltdowns and burnouts. And some average life.They are my reason for Being.There are just NOT 7 Easy Things that Successful Autistics Do…That Will Change My Life Forever.There's just living complex… and in the end… wild autistic life.being old & autistic ain't so bad.losing inhibitions.some of which protected me from…Life.freedom turns out to be pain…and joy…in superposition.until maybe they annihilate you.Notes from the bardobefore the bardoI learned a lot that Spring afternoon on the lawn in Johnson City.I saw Infinity in a burnt-off ant leg.And, eventually… I went for it.[music]OutroNow you know. So... there ya go.This project is consuming me. In that good, auDHD passionate way. Cuz your response keeps me going.If it meant something to you… I bet you know someone else it will mean something to. Share it.Everything's free at autisticaf.me. For everyone. On me.Stay weird.Stay fierce.Stay alive. * If this 3 fragments grabbed you… binge them all in order here: The Book: Frag by Frag.Click to get the next frag in your inbox free. Plus a PDF of my chapbook. To support my work, consider a paid subscription.These fragments are from my upcoming autobiography, Autistic Noir: My Life is My Art, arriving Fall 2026.I'm building a book out loud. Fragment by fragment. Just like I lived it.The Next ActDon't trust a corporate algorithm's decision about whether you get to see the next excerpt or not.Join my Substack for free… and the next fragment comes straight to your inbox. And you get a free digital download of my complete poetry chapbook.* Unlock the next act for free.Why I Write My AutobiographyI'm only an expert on my own life. Born 1953, diagnosed at 63. Your mileage will vary.Individual minority voices speaking truth out loud? They build bridges to mainstream readers. Think Malcolm X. Think Maya Angelou, Think Janet Mock's Redefining Realness.This Fall, I hope to deliver that kind of impact, that power with My Autistic Life is My Art. For our neurodivergent community.Since 2019 I've published a quarter of a million words. Over half the size of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.Gotta be a pony somewhere in that shit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/subscribe

This episode originally aired February 7, 2018. Janet Mock, the transgender advocate, television host and New York Times best-selling author, discusses her powerful journey, the importance of speaking your truth, and becoming the person you know you were always meant to be. Janet offers insight into not only her transgender experience but also the importance of creating a vision for what is possible, and shows us how to see and accept one another through love. Janet's first memoir, "Redefining Realness," details her bold and inspiring perspective on being young, multicultural and transgender in America. Janet says her journey is similar to that of many people: "I think that we're all searching for the truth. I was constantly, as a person, going through this society trying to figure out who I was in relation to what people were telling me I should be. And so, for me, 'Redefining Realness' was about tapping into my most authentic self. Who am I to me?" Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this compelling episode of the Underground Lounge, we explore the life and legacy of an NBA icon Stephen Jackson, whose impact reaches far beyond the court. From the chaos of the Malice in the Palace to his role in the George Floyd movement, he opens up about pivotal moments that have defined his journey as an athlete, activist, and media powerhouse.The conversation dives into the growth of the Big 3 league, the rise of All the Smoke, and the evolving responsibilities of athletes in media and social justice. Hear personal stories about Kobe Bryant's relentless drive, the realities of building a platform for retired players, and the lessons learned from navigating fame and adversity.With raw, unfiltered honesty, this episode reveals the power of loyalty, the fight for equality, and the drive to leave a legacy that matters. Tune in for a thought-provoking, inspiring, and entertaining discussion that's as real as it gets.Sponsored by FanDuel

Original Air Date: February 7, 2018Janet Mock, the transgender advocate, television host and New York Times best-selling author, discusses her powerful journey, the importance of speaking your truth, and becoming the person you know you were always meant to be. Janet offers insight into not only her transgender experience but also the importance of creating a vision for what is possible and shows us how to see and accept one another through love. Janet's first memoir, "Redefining Realness," details her bold and inspiring perspective on being young, multicultural and transgender in America. Janet says her journey is similar to that of many people: "I think that we're all searching for the truth. I was constantly, as a person, going through this society trying to figure out who I was in relation to what people were telling me I should be. And so, for me, 'Redefining Realness' was about tapping into my most authentic self. Who am I to me?" Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah's Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

Access EXCLUSIVE & AD FREE EPISODES here: apple.co/iamJoin our FB groupchat I AM Podcast group chatBe part of the inner circle on Sunroom @kylielatelyFollow me on IG @kylielately & TikTok @kylielatelyFor 20% off my courses The Blueprint & Surviving Separation use the code IAM  over at thefrae.com and check out my new website kylielately.com where you can sign up to receive texts from me! For more from the I am. with Kylie Lately podcast - more personal reflections, more conversations with guests, & more juicy self-development inspiration, you can join our members only platform here... https://plus.acast.com/s/the-kylie-camps-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In one of the first Queer Lit episodes ever, I got to chat with LaVelle Ridley (University of Michigan) about her doctoral research on black trans life narratives in this one and I must say, she's a tonic. From important observations on the role of storytelling in political and community activism to the deeply personal process of healing that appropriate representation can initiate, LaVelle covers it all. She's a scholar, an activist, a pisces (hell, yes!), a creative writer, a mermaid, and an absolute delight to talk to. Don't miss this one; it's fun! Texts and people mentioned: Paradise on the Margins: Lessons and Dreams from Trans Women of Color https://www.paradiseonthemargins.com/ Atargatis https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/ Susan Stryker Maggie Nelson's “The Argonauts” Janet Mock's “Redefining Realness” (2014) and “Surpassing Certainty” (2017) CeCe McDonald Toni Newman Venus Di'Khadijah Selenite Laverne Cox and Jac Gares' “FREE Cece!” Ridley, LaVelle. "Imagining Otherly: Performing Possible Black Trans Feminist Futures in Tangerine." TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 6.4 (November 2019): 481-490. LaKisha Simmons “Tangerine” Mya Taylor Kiki Rodriguez Mj Rodriguez POSE Kai Cheng Thom's “Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars” Walt Whitman's “Song of Myself” https://lavelleridley.wixsite.com/mysite

We discuss Redefining Realness, a memoir by Janet Mock.  We appreciate hearing a trans woman's story from her own voice-the triumphs, the pain, and the honesty.

Elle talks about her experiences with and understanding of internalized transphobia. This concept is built upon the academic model of internalized oppression and the work of scholars like Audre Lorde. Elle discusses how internalized transphobia has affected her, and continues to do so, as well as ways in which we as trans people can combat it. One of the resources she references is a book by Janet Mock entitled "Redefining Realness". She also recommends seeking out a support group created for transgender people such as Trans Tuesdays, a Zoom group held at the mental health clinic Elle currently works at (as a staff member, she does not attend this group herself). As always, reach out to Elle at twatpodcasting@gmail.com with questions or topic ideas. Thank you for rating, reviewing, and listening!!

Join us as we read the Harry Potter-themed transmasc memoir of Jackson Bird! Please check out our episode transcript and resources: https://www.movienightcrewnetwork.com/blog/sorted-by-jackson-bird-episode-transcript-resources Email us at restrictedsectionpod@gmail.com to tell us what you thought of Sorted! or even what you think of us! We'd love to read your email on the show. Be sure to subscribe to know right away about new episodes, and rate and review! SUPPORT US ON OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/therestrictedsection THANK YOU LOVE YOU BUY OUR MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/restrictedsectionpod/ THANK YOU LOVE YOU IG: https://www.instagram.com/restrictedsectionpod/ TW: https://twitter.com/restrictedpod FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rspoddetentioncrew/   Check out our other amazing Movie Night Crew Network podcasts! www.movienightcrewnetwork.com/   This episode featured: your host Christina Kann https://linktr.ee/christinakann Christina plugged The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9781250217318 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9781501161933 Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Jhao https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9780735269934 Fun Home by Alison Bechdel https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9780618871711 Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9781250316776 Nimona by ND Stevenson https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9780062278227 Grace Ball Check out Wildling Press! www.wildlingpress.com Grace plugged Redefining Realness by Janet Mock https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9781476709130 Special guests Charlie and Carrie from Fandoms Gone Wrong www.movienightcrewnetwork.com/fandomsgonewrong  Charlie Check out their other show, Of the Eldest Gods www.movienightcrewnetwork.com/oftheeldestgods Follow Charlie on TW https://twitter.com/greenpixie123 IG http://instagram.com/greenpixie12 YT https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi60bkmhJMYRBiR5_2MAylQ Charlie plugged Owl House https://disneynow.com/shows/the-owl-house

Angelina Eimannsberger talks to Saronik about cultural phenomenon Jonathan Van Ness, and movements in queer femininity that they represent. They touch briefly on Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Jean Genet's Notre Dame des Fleurs, Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, and the hashtag #transisbeautiful inaugurated by Laverne Cox. They also talk about Michel Foucault's interview “Friendship as a Way of Life“. Angelina and Saronik had a post-recording conversation about the activistic work that JVN does. On that note, here is a list of organizations they support, and that you can support too: Planned Parenthood, RAINN, Phoenix House, The Trevor Project, National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs, Advocates for Youth, GLSEN, Peer Health Exchange, ASPCA. The image for this episode is a frame titled “Flowering Tree” by the fin de siècle English artist Aubrey Beardsley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Angelina Eimannsberger talks to Saronik about cultural phenomenon Jonathan Van Ness, and movements in queer femininity that they represent. They touch briefly on Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Jean Genet's Notre Dame des Fleurs, Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, and the hashtag #transisbeautiful inaugurated by Laverne Cox. They also talk about Michel Foucault's interview “Friendship as a Way of Life“. Angelina and Saronik had a post-recording conversation about the activistic work that JVN does. On that note, here is a list of organizations they support, and that you can support too: Planned Parenthood, RAINN, Phoenix House, The Trevor Project, National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs, Advocates for Youth, GLSEN, Peer Health Exchange, ASPCA. The image for this episode is a frame titled “Flowering Tree” by the fin de siècle English artist Aubrey Beardsley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angelina Eimannsberger talks to Saronik about cultural phenomenon Jonathan Van Ness, and movements in queer femininity that they represent. They touch briefly on Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Jean Genet's Notre Dame des Fleurs, Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, and the hashtag #transisbeautiful inaugurated by Laverne Cox. They also talk about Michel Foucault's interview “Friendship as a Way of Life“. Angelina and Saronik had a post-recording conversation about the activistic work that JVN does. On that note, here is a list of organizations they support, and that you can support too: Planned Parenthood, RAINN, Phoenix House, The Trevor Project, National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs, Advocates for Youth, GLSEN, Peer Health Exchange, ASPCA. The image for this episode is a frame titled “Flowering Tree” by the fin de siècle English artist Aubrey Beardsley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Janet Mock is an American writer, television host, director, producer and transgender rights activist. Her debut book, the memoir Redefining Realness, debuted on the New York Times bestseller in 2014. The book tells her story of growing up as a trans girl in Hawaii, and celebrates self-actualization and self-love. In addition, she is a contributing editor for Marie Claire, a former staff editor of People magazine's website, and a writer, director, & producer for the acclaimed FX television series Pose. Originally published on March 25th, 2014. Watch the video of this event via g.co/TalksAtGoogle/MyPathtoWomanhood.

This past month there were two incidents within the Indie Bookstore Community that hurt the BIPOC and Trans communities. Ryan, Hillary, and Jo take this opportunity to recommend some of their favorite books by and about BIPOC & Trans folks! Gibson's Bookstore is a safe space for you.  Click the link to purchase the book from our store, or click the (audiobook) link to get the audiobook on Libro.fm. Thank you for shopping local! Books Mentioned During This Episode RECENT READS Ryan, https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/ryan-elizabeth-clark People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (audiobook) Beach Read (audiobook) Survive the Night by Riley Sager (audiobook) The Lost Girls by Jessica Chiarella (audiobook) Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix (audiobook - read by Friday the 13th Final Girl, Adrienne King!) Horrorstor  My Best Friend's Exorcism (audiobook) The Heathens by Ace Atkins (audiobook) While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (audiobook) For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing (audiobook) Cackle by Rachel Harrison (October 5th, 2021) (audiobook) Hillary, https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/hillary Landslide by Michael Wolff (audiobook) Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby (audiobook) The Stand by Stephen King (audiobook) Jo, https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/jo Matrix by Lauren Groff (audiobook) The Project by Courtney Summers (audiobook) BOOKS BY AND ABOUT BIPOC & TRANS FOLKS Ryan Once & Future by A.R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy (audiobook) Sword in the Stars by A.R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy (audiobook) Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (audiobook) Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (audiobook) Lost in the Never Woods (audiobook) Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (audiobook) Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (audiobook) Take a Hint, Dani Brown (audiobook) Act Your Age, Eve Brown (audiobook) Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (audiobook) Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (audiobook) Hillary Thinking Again: A Diary by Jan Morris (audiobook) Allegorizings  The Natural Mother of the Child by Krys Malcolm Belc (audiobook) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (audiobook) Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan (audiobook) She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders (audiobook) Fairest by Meredith Talusan (audiobook) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (audiobook) The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (audiobook) Jo Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (September 28th, 2021) (audiobook) Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (audiobook) The Deep (audiobook) Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (audiobook) Pet (audiobook Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (audiobook) Magic for Liars (audiobook) The Echo Wife (audiobook) Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (audiobook) Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg  OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED Charlie Jane Anders (audiobooks) Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone (audiobook) OTHER LINKS Shop The Laydown Gibson's Bookstore Website Purchase Gift Certificates!  Browse our Website by Category! Donate to the Bookstore! Check out our Events Calendar! Gibson's Instagram The Laydown Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Libro.fm (Our Audiobook Platform) Use the code LAYDOWN for 3 audiobooks for the price of 1!  Email us at thelaydownpodcast@gmail.com

Most recently, SHAKINA NAYFACK made television history starring in NBC's Connecting… as  the first transgender person to have a starring role in a network comedy. She can also be seen in Amazon's GLAAD Award Winning Transparent Musicale Finale, which she helped write and produce, and Hulu's Difficult People, for which she was a writing consultant. Her play Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club premiered on Audible in 2020 in collaboration with Williamstown Theatre Festival and was recognized with a 2021 Drama League Award for Best Audio Theatre Production. She is the Founding Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory, where she helped to develop hundreds of new musicals including Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize winning musical, A Strange Loop and her own autobiographical glam rock odyssey, Manifest Pussy.Weekly Round-Up:Watch the documentary Disclosure on Netflix.Listen to the On the Rookie podcast episode “The Roadmap For Liberation, feat. Janet Mock” and then read Janet's book, Redefining Realness.Read My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein.Visit Shakina's website to learn more about her work and download her award-winning Audible play, Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club.Support the Juneteenth Jubilee, organized by Intersectional Voices Collective.

I get to chat with LaVelle Ridley (University of Michigan) about her doctoral research on black trans life narratives in this one and I must say, she's a tonic. From important observations on the role of storytelling in political and community activism to the deeply personal process of healing that appropriate representation can initiate, LaVelle covers it all. She's a scholar, an activist, a pisces (hell, yes!), a creative writer, a mermaid, and an absolute delight to talk to. Don't miss this one; it's fun!Texts and people mentioned:Paradise on the Margins: Lessons and Dreams from Trans Women of Colorhttps://www.paradiseonthemargins.com/Atargatishttps://mermaidsuk.org.uk/Susan StrykerMaggie Nelson's “The Argonauts”Janet Mock's “Redefining Realness” (2014) and “Surpassing Certainty” (2017)CeCe McDonaldToni NewmanVenus Di'Khadijah SeleniteLaverne Cox and Jac Gares' “FREE Cece!”Ridley, LaVelle. "Imagining Otherly: Performing Possible Black Trans Feminist Futures in Tangerine." TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 6.4 (November 2019): 481-490.LaKisha Simmons “Tangerine”Mya TaylorKiki RodriguezMj RodriguezPOSEKai Cheng Thom's “Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars”Walt Whitman's “Song of Myself”https://lavelleridley.wixsite.com/mysiteNeed more queer stuff on your socials? Follow LaVelle and me on Twitter (@lridley16/@Lena_Mattheis) and Instagram (academicfish/lena_mattheis).Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:1. What is life narrative? Can you think of an example for this from literature or film?2. Where does LaVelle locate the role of storytelling and self narrating? How does it intersect with activism?3. Which poet does LaVelle quote when she speaks about ‘containing multitudes'? Why is this poet relevant in this context?4. Why is it productive to trouble genre distinctions? What is a genre?5. Why does LaVelle find it important to be personal in her research? What does this mean to her?

In this episode I will be talking to Amber who works in the Entertainment Industry as a Song Writer, Musician, Producer, and now #2 best selling Author in her genre. Amber is a transgender woman. She wrote a memoir about her journey to finding and living as her authentic self. * I have a trans sibling and I support her decision to live her life however she sees fit and hopefully is happy at the end of the day. * It is not an easy road for one to take. I know from watching my sisters journey and having most of the family not be supportive in the beginning and going through a period where most of us didn't speak to her for a few years. I didn't speak to her for over 10 years. * * Amber's Bio: * Amber Rose Washington is an author, songwriter, musician, producer, public speaker, and advocate for the transgender community and has been featured on FOX, NBC, CBS, NPR, and a host of other media. Her new Podcast show, "THE JOURNEY, Unscripted" is scheduled to begin airing in April 2021. * Amber grew up in Liberty, New York; a small town in the Catskill Mountains. Her town and region were the inspiration behind the movie, Dirty Dancing. * “The Catskills” are well-known by the Hollywood elite as the place where so many celebrities of the past got their big break. You can experience a glimpse into this region in the Netflix Original series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. * Amber currently lives in Florida where she and her team are currently building out her platform which will allow her to bring greater awareness to the diversity of the human condition. * This platform will also facilitate innovative and educational speaking engagements and interactive lectures at college universities, pride events, radio, Internet-based Podcasts, and TV interviews, and article-based media. * She currently performs outreach to numerous regional transgender support groups in the United States and beyond. * * Amber's Website: https://amberrosewashington.com/#home1 * Amber's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Myself.../dp/192237282X * * Social Media: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HidingFromMyselfARWashington * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amber.rose.washington/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-rose-washington-30982a1bb/ * Twitter: https://twitter.com/amberwash68 * * What book have you read on your journey that has made a profound impact on your life? * Redefining Realness by Janet Mock | Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst * What 2 Podcasts have made the biggest impact on your life and your journey? * The Good Life Podcast, This American Life(NPR), Fresh Air w/Terry Gross), Love Someone with Delilah * * Please Help Support My Vision Here: * If you like what I'm doing and creating and have been wondering how you can get involved and help support my vision. Head over to my Patreon page and check out the perks & benefits you receive by becoming a monthly subscriber. You can also learn more about the nonprofit organization that my team and I are building for transitional age youth in my county that are re-entering the community from incarceration. As a subscriber you would be helping to build and support my ability to work on this project full time, while still being able to bring you the engaging content that you enjoy listening to or watching. * https://www.patreon.com/user?u=19859993&fan_landing=true * * If you like the streaming platform that I am using called StreamYard use the link below to sign up with and receive a $10 credit for signing up. I will get a credit as well and that of course will help the show. * StreamYard Affiliate Link: https://streamyard.com?pal=5045291231739904 * * Live-Stream Links: * https://www.facebook.com/nowheretogo.butupnow.9/videos/773621413556307/ * https://youtu.be/AUZMkLptT9c * * Here is where you can find me: * Linktree: * https://linktr.ee/Nowheretogobutup * CLUBHOUSE:   @seandustin * To support the show through Patreon: * https://www.patreon.com/user?u=19859993 * You can also tip me through PayPal: * www.paypal.com * recipient: nowheretogobutupnow@gmail.com * The Cash App: * https://cash.app/ * Recipient: $nwtgbupod * Show Notes Writer: Sean Dustin * *

A Conversation Between African-American Author, Mark Winkler, and Dr. John Schinnerer This episode is an attempt to provide a way forward through the increasingly divisive topics of racism, white privilege, conscious and unconscious biases, how to identify them and how to address them. This episode is an effort to invite white people to come alongside black people; to increase their knowledge around racism; and to seek ways to take positive actions to support racial equality. It also an attempt to extend an open hand in support of people of color. The Evolved Caveman is committed to anti-racism. This is an attempt to join with Black people and other people of color. Now is the time when we anti-racist white people need to commit to having intentional conversations with the people in our lives and on social media who might be conflicted about the protests because of the narratives of violence and looting outlined by those with other agendas. We need to start these uncomfortable, yet critical, conversations. Below are resources to begin your education… Articles to read:
 Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
 My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant' by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
 The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
 The Combahee River Collective Statement
 The Intersectionality Wars' by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
 White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack' by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
 Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?' by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
 Podcasts to check out: 1619 (New York Times)
 About Race
 Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
 Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
 Seeing White
 Books to read: 
 How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
 Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
 Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
 Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
 Redefining Realness by Janet Mock 
 Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
 So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
 The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 
by Michelle Alexander
 The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs
 The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
 When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
 White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
 Films and TV series to watch: 13th (Ava DuVernay) Netflix
 American Son (Kenny Leon) Netflix
 Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) Available to rent
 Dear White People (Justin Simien) Netflix
 Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) Available to rent
 If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) Hulu
 Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) Available to rent
 King In The Wilderness HBO
 See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) Netflix
 Selma (Ava DuVernay) Available to rent
 The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) Hulu with Cinemax
 When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) Netflix
 Organizations to follow on social media: Antiracism Center: Twitter
 Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 
 Black Women's Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 
 Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 Check us out on Google Play and give us a Like and Subscribe! https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Imo4l6pgrbmeklxvec6pgwzxnz4 If you like what you've heard, support us by subscribing, leaving reviews on Apple podcasts. Every review helps to get the message out! Please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. Follow Dr. John Schinnerer on | Instagram | Instagram.com/@TheEvolvedCaveman | Facebook | Facebook.com/Anger.Management.Expert | Twitter | Twitter.com/@JohnSchin | LinkedIn | Linkedin.com/in/DrJohnSchinnerer Or join the email list by visiting: GuideToSelf.com Please visit our YouTube channel and remember to Like & Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/jschinnerer Editing/Mixing/Mastering by: Brian Donat of B/Line Studios www.BLineStudios.com Music by: Zak Gay http://otonamimusic.com/

Hey y’all! This month we talked about The Okra Project. https://www.theokraproject.com and you can also check them out on Instagram @theokraproject to donate or volunteer. Also, check out @foroursibs on Instagram, they are located in Atlanta, GA

Mx. Harris Eddie Hill (they/them) is host of the Transection Podcast. A seasoned LGBTQ+ advocate, Harris is an incredible resource for learning how to support transgender and nonbinary loved ones. If someone comes out to you as trans or nonbinary, you’ll want to be prepared so you don’t risk damaging your relationship or contribute to their mental health challenges. Before Harris knew they were transgender, something felt wrong. They would ask themselves, “am I a boy?” They never knew they could be queer.We talked about what it’s like to be trans in the UK vs. the US. The UK has laws that say you can’t discriminate against people. The NHS pays for transition services. In the US, many trans people have to save money to pay for transition surgery. Janet Mock had to do sex work to pay for her surgery. Even after you have your hormones, transitioning can take 2 to 5 years depending on what you need. But Harris finds that too much of the conversation is about what’s difficult. "We should be focusing more on what feels good and how we can support each other.” It’s imperative that parents and other adults try to understand. “Just having one supportive parent or adult...can minimize the risk of suicide by 90 percent.”I asked Harris what to do if you goof up on pronouns. They advise apologizing, correcting yourself, and moving on. Getting pronouns right shows you are an ally. 2020 has been the deadliest year in history for trans people in the U.S., especially Black trans women. We talked about Laverne Cox and her documentary “Disclosure." Just 10 days ago, Cox and a friend were attacked while out on a walk. People often forget that trans people have reproductive health, and they shouldn’t have to misgender themselves to discuss it or get treatment.On Harris' Transection Podcast, topics range from nonbinary and trans 101, euphoria and dysphoria, trauma and PTSD, spirituality, sex, intersectional movies, and empowering Black women. That led us to trans-inclusive and transphobic films and J.K. Rowling. It’s disappointing someone who wrote amazing stories about oppression and prejudice could become a TERF.Harris has created the incredible Trans+Gender Identity: A Guide for Beginners. The free guide offers a glossary, five things to know when someone comes out, three key questions to ask, and dos and don'ts. Harris finds joy when they are able to help others find clarity or comfort. It’s gratifying to hear they are actually making a difference.Resources:Janet Mock, Redefining Realness and Surprising CertaintyJuno Roche, Gender ExplorersLaverne Cox, “Disclosure”Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and Potterotica podcastsJudith Orloff, Positive Energy Practices

This week Rhody Radio is observing Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which takes place on Friday, November 20. TDOR honors the memory of those murdered in acts of anti-transgender violence. We are taking this opportunity to present an excerpt from a recent episode of Down Time with Cranston Public Library, featuring the voices of local transgender library workers and students. Drawing from their personal experiences, Derrick, Erin, and Jo discuss the positive and negative aspects of their transition journeys so far, normalizing the sharing of pronouns, how libraries and other public spaces can make their spaces more welcoming to Trans and non-binary individuals, and much more. To learn more about Transgender Day of Remembrance please visit tdor.translivesmatter.info. Down Time theme music is Day Trips by Ketsa. Rhody Radio is a project of the Office of Library and Information Services and is made possible by a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. Books and movies mentioned in this episode Disclosure (2020) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock A Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon Luna by Julie Anne Peters I Am J by Cris Beam Books by Julia Serano Nevada by Imogen Binnie https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/ https://pflag.org/blog/transgender-day-remembrance-2020 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rhodyradio/message

Angelina Eimannsberger talks to Saronik about cultural phenomenon Jonathan Van Ness, and movements in queer femininity that they represent. They touch briefly on Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, Jean Genet’s Notre Dame des Fleurs, Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness, and the hashtag #transisbeautiful inaugurated by Laverne Cox. They also talk about […]

This week we have a very special episode of our show. Tayla is joined by Derrick, Erin, and Jo for a Trans 101 roundtable discussion. Drawing from their personal experiences, this week’s guests discuss the positive and negative aspects of their transition journeys so far, normalizing the sharing of pronouns, how libraries and other public spaces can make their spaces more welcoming to trans and non-binary individuals, and much more. Our theme music is Day Trips by Ketsa and our ad music is Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes. Thanks for listening! Materials discussed in the episode Disclosure (2020) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock A Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon Luna by Julie Anne Peters I Am J by Cris Beam Books by Julia Serano Nevada by Imogen Binnie

This episode is an attempt to provide a way forward through conversations across race about the difficult topics of racism, white privilege, conscious and unconscious biases, how to identify them and how to address them. This episode is our effort to call in white people to increase their knowledge around racism in its historical and present contexts and engage in positive action to support Black Lives Matter. It also an attempt to extend an open hand in support of people of color. The Evolved Caveman is committed to anti-racism. This is an attempt to join with Black people and other people of color. Now is the time when we anti-racist white people need to commit to having intentional conversations with the people in our lives and on social media who might be conflicted about the protests because of the narratives of violence and looting outlined by those with other agendas. We need to start these uncomfortable, yet supremely important, conversations. Below are resources to begin your education… Articles to read: • Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists • My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant' by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011) • The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine • The Combahee River Collective Statement • The Intersectionality Wars' by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019) • White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack' by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh • Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?' by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020) Podcasts to check out: • 1619 (New York Times) • About Race • Code Switch (NPR) • Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast • Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights) • Pod Save the People (Crooked Media) • Seeing White Books to read: • Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper • Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon • How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson • Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad • Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold • Redefining Realness by Janet Mock • Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde • So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo • The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander • The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston • When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson • White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD Films and TV series to watch: • 13th (Ava DuVernay) Netflix • American Son (Kenny Leon) Netflix • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 Available to rent • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) Available to rent • Dear White People (Justin Simien) Netflix • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) Available to rent • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) Hulu • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) Available to rent • King In The Wilderness HBO • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) Netflix • Selma (Ava DuVernay) Available to rent • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution Available to rent • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) Hulu with Cinemax • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) Netflix Organizations to follow on social media: • Antiracism Center: Twitter • Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Black Women's Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook • Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook More anti-racism resources to check out: • 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice • Anti-Racism Project • Jenna Arnold's resources (books and people to follow) • Rachel Ricketts' anti-racism resources • Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism • Showing Up For Racial Justice's educational toolkits • The [White] Shift on Instagram This is an edited version of document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020. A big thank you to Sarah and Alyssa. Check us out on Google Play and give us a Like and Subscribe! https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Imo4l6pgrbmeklxvec6pgwzxnz4 If you like what you've heard, support us by subscribing, leaving reviews on Apple podcasts. Every review helps to get the message out! Please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. Follow Dr. John Schinnerer on | Instagram | Instagram.com/@TheEvolvedCaveman | Facebook | Facebook.com/Anger.Management.Expert | Twitter | Twitter.com/@JohnSchin | LinkedIn | Linkedin.com/in/DrJohnSchinnerer Or join the email list by visiting: GuideToSelf.com Please visit our YouTube channel and remember to Like & Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/jschinnerer Editing/Mixing/Mastering by: Brian Donat of B/Line Studios www.BLineStudios.com Music by: Zak Gay http://otonamimusic.com/

This week Jaiden and Faith speak on the events currently taking place in our society and the movement associate with it, Black Lives Matter. Using the platform that the girls have been given, they showed up, stood up, and spoke up about the systemic racism that has been built into our society for an astronomical number of years. Enough is enough. It is time the voices of allies to the Black community grew louder and made it very clear that change is coming. Jaiden and Faith see you. Jaiden and Faith hear you. Jaiden and Faith will fight for you. #blacklivesmatterWays To Educate Yourself On The BLM Movement:(1) Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary: Post Traumatic Slave Disorder (YouTube)(2) Dear White People (Netflix)(3) American Son (Netflix)(4) Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast(5) Higher Learning with Van Lathen & Rachel Lindsay (Podcast)(6) How To Be Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi (Book)(7) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (Book)(8) Text 'FLOYD' to 55156(9) Donate to The NAACP Legal Defence Fund(10) Register to vote.(11) Be an ally.

This week Jaiden and Faith speak on the events currently taking place in our society and the movement associate with it, Black Lives Matter. Using the platform that the girls have been given, they showed up, stood up, and spoke up about the systemic racism that has been built into our society for an astronomical number of years. Enough is enough. It is time the voices of allies to the Black community grew louder and made it very clear that change is coming. Jaiden and Faith see you. Jaiden and Faith hear you. Jaiden and Faith will fight for you. #blacklivesmatterWays To Educate Yourself On The BLM Movement:(1) Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary: Post Traumatic Slave Disorder (YouTube)(2) Dear White People (Netflix)(3) American Son (Netflix)(4) Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast(5) Higher Learning with Van Lathen & Rachel Lindsay (Podcast)(6) How To Be Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi (Book)(7) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (Book)(8) Text 'FLOYD' to 55156(9) Donate to The NAACP Legal Defence Fund(10) Register to vote.(11) Be an ally.

This week Jaiden and Faith speak on the events currently taking place in our society and the movement associate with it, Black Lives Matter. Using the platform that the girls have been given, they showed up, stood up, and spoke up about the systemic racism that has been built into our society for an astronomical number of years. Enough is enough. It is time the voices of allies to the Black community grew louder and made it very clear that change is coming. Jaiden and Faith see you. Jaiden and Faith hear you. Jaiden and Faith will fight for you. #blacklivesmatterWays To Educate Yourself On The BLM Movement:(1) Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary: Post Traumatic Slave Disorder (YouTube)(2) Dear White People (Netflix)(3) American Son (Netflix)(4) Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast(5) Higher Learning with Van Lathen & Rachel Lindsay (Podcast)(6) How To Be Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi (Book)(7) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (Book)(8) Text 'FLOYD' to 55156(9) Donate to The NAACP Legal Defence Fund(10) Register to vote.(11) Be an ally.

This week Jaiden and Faith speak on the events currently taking place in our society and the movement associate with it, Black Lives Matter. Using the platform that the girls have been given, they showed up, stood up, and spoke up about the systemic racism that has been built into our society for an astronomical number of years. Enough is enough. It is time the voices of allies to the Black community grew louder and made it very clear that change is coming. Jaiden and Faith see you. Jaiden and Faith hear you. Jaiden and Faith will fight for you. #blacklivesmatterWays To Educate Yourself On The BLM Movement:(1) Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary: Post Traumatic Slave Disorder (YouTube)(2) Dear White People (Netflix)(3) American Son (Netflix)(4) Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast(5) Higher Learning with Van Lathen & Rachel Lindsay (Podcast)(6) How To Be Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi (Book)(7) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (Book)(8) Text 'FLOYD' to 55156(9) Donate to The NAACP Legal Defence Fund(10) Register to vote.(11) Be an ally.

From activism to autobiography to screenwriting, producing, and directing FX’s “Pose,” there’s not much Janet Mock can’t do. “Head first, experience first,” she says, is how she journeys through both Hollywood and life. When Ryan Murphy offered the chance to lend her voice to a trailblazer of a series featuring transgender and queer characters, Janet gave herself a crash course in becoming a writer-director-producer—and can now pass on that knowledge to other aspiring multihyphenates. Janet worked as a journalist and correspondent in digital media before her bestselling memoirs “Redefining Realness” and “Surpassing Certainty” led her to television and film. She became the first trans woman of color to write and direct a TV episode, on “Pose,” and now also executive produces the Netflix mini-series “Hollywood.” Check out Backstage coverage of “Pose” here: bit.ly/3dII7Qt For coverage of COVID-19 including advice and resources, click here: bit.ly/2WxUFVj --- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Jack Smart, Awards Editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Subscribe and listen to In the Envelope: - SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/2jUpnnw - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QNmu6C - Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2DJv6bD Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Browse Backstage casting listings: https://www.backstage.com/casting Check out Backstage’s community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Special thanks to... - Host: Jack Smart - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social Media: Katie Minard - Design: Mark Stinson and Caitlin Watkins - Additional Support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis

NISHTA J. MEHRA is the proud first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants and the author of two essay collections: The Pomegranate King, self-published in 2013, and Brown White Black, published by Picador in February 2019. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Mehra now lives with her wife, Jill, and their six-year-old, Shiv, in Phoenix. She spends her days working as a high-school English teacher, cooking for friends & family, reading as voraciously as possible, and hiking on South Mountain whenever she gets the chance. Connect with her via her website, nishtajmehra.com and on Twitter & Instagram @nishtajmehra Jillian Bessett: The voice in the intro and outro belong to songwriter Jillian Bessett. Jillian Bessett is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose evocative lyrics and welcoming stage presence have endeared her to audiences throughout the southwest music scene. Jillian is currently writing music and gigging with her new favorite instrument the Boss RC-505 Looping Station. Referenced in the interview: The Blue Jean Gourmet: Nishta's food blog. **Nishta's essay "Black is the Color Of My True Love's Hair,"** published in Guernica. Redefining Realness by Janet Mock From his interview for On Being with Krista Tippett, Jon Kabat-Zinn: "And one of the things that we say in there is of all the spiritual practices, you know, no matter how severe the monastery and how arduous the particular practices associated with it, living with children is probably the most powerful spiritual practice that anybody could ever be engaged in if you open yourself to it that way. I like to look at them as when they're little as little living Zen masters that are sort of parachuted into our lives to push all our buttons and see how we're going to work with the challenges they throw at us in addition to, of course, having to put food on the table, pay the rent, build a career, have a loving relationship, you know …"

Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready. This week, we'll have a lively discussion with our in-studio guest, Breanna Sinclaire, who will also perform a song live. Breanna Sinclaire is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of CalArts. She received her Masters from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and she was the first transwoman of the opera program, under the pedagogy of Ms. Ruby Pleasure. Operatic performances include Carmen, La Calisto, The Old Maid and The Thief, The Magic Flute, L'enfant et les sortilèges, Platée, and West Side Story, as well as Meredith Monk's Songs of Ascension at REDCAT, and Zachary Sharrin's Time Bodies at MOCA. Outside of opera, Sinclaire has enjoyed a variety of performance opportunities with LGBT and other nonprofit organizations throughout the nation — most recently the Gay Men's Choruses of Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. She made her debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus. Other performances include Americans for the Arts, Washington, D.C. and Toronto Pride Festivals, SF Trans March, Fresh Meat Trans and Queer Arts Festivals, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, LinkedIn's LGBTQ Employee Resource Group speaker series panel discussion (alongside civil rights leader Cecilia Chung), Janet Mock's Redefining Realness book tour, and the Transgender Law Center's SPARK! anniversary celebration. She also made her debut as a guest artist for the Gay Men's Chorus of DC in Durufle's Requiemperforming "Pie Jesu" at Church of the Epiphany. She was among Out magazine's 2015 "OUT100" list of LGBT heroes. She was the first transwoman to perform the National Anthem at a professional sporting event for the Oakland A's, SF Giants, and San Francisco Deltas. She made her debut with SF Symphony on December 31st, 2018 as the first trans singer to perform with the orchestra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janet Mock first heard the word “māhū,” a Native Hawaiian word for people who exist outside the male-female binary, when she was twelve. She had just moved back to Oahu, where she was born, from Texas, and, by that point, Mock knew that the gender she presented as didn’t feel right. “I don’t like to say the word ‘trapped,’ ” Mock tells The New Yorker’s Hilton Als. “But I was feeling very, very tightly contained in my body.” Eventually, Mock left Hawaii for New York, where she worked as an editor for People magazine. “[Everyone was] bigger and louder and smarter and bolder than me,” she tells Als. “So, in that sense, I could kind of blend in.” After working at People for five years, she came out publicly as trans; since then, she has emerged as a leading voice on trans issues. She’s written two books, produced a documentary, and hosted for MSNBC. She is a contributing editor for Marie Claire, and, in 2018, she became the first trans woman of color to be hired as a writer on a TV series—Ryan Murphy’s FX series “Pose.”  Now she’s working on a film adaptation of her Times best-selling memoir, “Redefining Realness.”

**Our new Janet's List / Making Money Moves Facebook Group is here - to join, go to: http://bit.ly/JanetsListandMakingMoneyMovesFBGroup ** Making Money Moves is a brand new podcast brought to you by Janet’s List, hosted by Janet Oganah and Adonica Simmons. The aim of our podcast is to open up conversations about money, mindset and the moves people have made to build successful businesses. If you are a female entrepreneur, a high impact woman or are simply looking for inspiration, this podcast is for you. We interview inspiring guests, mostly women of colour, who are building incredible businesses. Our guests will also share tips and strategies, which you can apply at any stage of your entrepreneurial journey. We loved our conversation with Siobhan Kangataran, Coach and Founder of ToGetHer Further, membership community and Facebook support platform. In part 1 of our podcast she describes how she redefined her career while creating a safe space online for other working women. In part 2 of our podcast (this episode) she revealed the practicalities of building, launching and running a membership community, how to monetise it in a way that makes sense for the business model and how to overcome fear of competition by recognising the ongoing need for new networks. Here’s what you’ll learn this episode: Letting creative energy manifest – birthing her blog and the inception of her business (1:05) Clarifying the niche – understanding what’s different about what you have to offer and recognising the need for your own personal voice (2:44) Keeping tabs on membership sharing – encouraging promotion in an authentic voice (4:58) Working out how and when to monetise and membership community (7:00) Automating your content posts for ease (8:49) Utilising project management tool Asana to prepare yourself for delegating to a team 10:22 If you would like to connect with us on social media, you can find us all here: Siobhan Kangataran – ToGetHer Further (Website) and Facebook community and Instagram Janet’s List – @JanetsList (Instagram) and @JanetsList (Twitter). Janet Oganah: @Janet_Oganah (Twitter) Adonica Simmons: @GlobalStyleServices (Instagram) We mentioned Janet Mock's books: Redefining Realness and Surpassing Certainty  The overall mission of Janet’s List is to connect consumers with women of colour in business. We want to close the gap between consumers and women of colour in business and to improve diversity in the business landscape. We also have a curated edit on Janet’s List where you can buy directly from fantastic brands by women of colour. Podcast listeners! You can get a special discount of 10% off Janet’s List using the code: JANETSLIST10 Stay tuned and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and your favourite podcast apps.

Janet Mock, the transgender advocate, television host and New York Times best-selling author, discusses her powerful journey, the importance of speaking your truth, and becoming the person you know you were always meant to be. Janet offers insight into not only her transgender experience but also the importance of creating a vision for what is possible, and shows us how to see and accept one another through love. Janet's first memoir, "Redefining Realness," details her bold and inspiring perspective on being young, multicultural and transgender in America. Janet says her journey is similar to that of many people: "I think that we're all searching for the truth. I was constantly, as a person, going through this society trying to figure out who I was in relation to what people were telling me I should be. And so, for me, 'Redefining Realness' was about tapping into my most authentic self. Who am I to me?"

The very gracious and eloquent Janet Mock talks about her life, activism and writing in this essential session about the power of storytelling. She reflects on her journey, and challenges preconceived notions about identity, being and truth. Chaired by Lucky Price.

This week, we discuss “customer of size” policies and our top travel tips, gifts for educating your family on the bodyposi lifestyle, and Aunt Terri.  Also covered: a Jabba update, dry shampoo, and Pikachu. This episode is sponsored by Cake Plus-Size Resale, a body positive resale boutique. Cake has both an online shop and a brick-and-mortar store in Minneapolis. Cake Plus-Size Resale is for people of all genders sizes XL and up. They offer all kinds of clothes with femme, masc, and androgynous styles. Go to www.cakeplussize.com and enter code SAF at checkout for 10% off until December 31st. Every week, Sophie and April listen to a pump up song to get them ready to record! Listen to this week’s pump up song here. To get access to further reading on today’s topics and some stuff we didn’t have time for, join our Patreon! Need advice? Email/send voice memo to fyi@shesallfatpod.com. Follow us! Twitter / Instagram / Get updates! You can find us on: Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / Google Play / Pocket Cast / PlayerFM / CastBox Need something else? Check out our site: shesallfatpod.com Mentioned in this episode: I’m Obsessed: Sophie’s Glossier referral link for 10% off. Pikachu can talk. Bodak Yellow as a Gospel song. Tila Tequila and other famous Flat-Earthers. Demeter fragrances - Honeysuckle and Mulled Cider. Origins of the Polka “doco.” The Meat Of It: Earplanes. Airline seats are getting smaller. Southwest Customer of Size Policy. Ask A Fattie: Our resource page. The Body Positive’s book. Intersectional books for kids. Bitch Media. Safety Pin Box. Shrill, by Lindy West. The Turner House, by Angela Flournoy. Redefining Realness, by Janet Mock. This Is Just My Face, by Gabourey Sidibe.

Rebecca and Jeff wrap up this year's moms, dads, and grads recommendation bonanza.    This episode is sponsored by: OwlCrate Audiobooks.com Protect America Grand Central Book Club   Books mentioned in this show: The Mothers The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Saints for All Occasions Orhan’s Inheritance George  A Boy Like Me  Redefining Realness  A Darker Shade of Magic Sorceror to the Crown Paper Girls The Magicians Shadowshaper Every Body Yoga   Wisdom of Yoga   Silence   Start Where You Are  Presence   Speak  A Brief History of Nearly Everything Ready Player One Barkskins The Luminaries The Noble Hustle Hammerhead The Year of Living Biblically Sleepless Nights and Kisses for Breakfast Our Souls at Night Another Brooklyn The Inseparables Maine The Turner House Doc The Ok Corral The Kid The Sisters Brothers Battleborn The Water Museum Peak Grit Known and Strange Things Big Magic

  “IN THE DOLLHOUSE WITH LINA” RETURNS FOR ITS SECOND SEASON THE MAGIC 8 BALL BRINGS BACK YOUTUBE’S WILDEST TALK SHOW STARRING LINA BRADFORD AND HER COLLECTION OF BARBIES In The Dollhouse With Lina, the rollicking YouTube show hosted by the spirited House Music DJ diva Lina Bradford, returns for its second season this month. In the show, Lina’s quick wit (known as “Linish”…yes, she has her own language) and infectious smile take center stage as she discusses music, fashion and pop culture with her celebrity friends. In season one, her magic 8 ball transported Carson Kressley, Robert Verdi and Bevy Smith (host of “Bevelations” on Andy Cohen’s Radio Andy) into the dollhouse. Season Two will welcome guests like Candis Cayne, NY Real Housewife and Home Shopping Network jewelry designer Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Whoopi Goldberg. Each episode is shot in Lina Bradford’s Barbie doll room — she has over 600 pint-sized mannequins — and includes hilarious segments like the fan-favorite “Asian Fortune Cookie Kiki” where celebs play the Origami Paper Game with Lina, answering questions no one else would dare to ask. “The wonderful part about doing a talk show is I get to be my fun, goofball self while doing the two things I most enjoy: learning more about the interesting personalities I adore and making people happy,” says Lina Bradford from The Dollhouse studios in New York. “What more could I ask for from a job?” Lina Bradford grew up as an only child in New York City, across the street from Carnegie Hall. Without siblings, she would spend most of her days alone with only her wild imagination to keep her company. “I would put my Barbies in the craziest scenarios,” she remembers. “Whether they were fighting crime, sailing the French Riviera, or running high powered executive meetings in the boardroom, they always did it with glamour and style.” Lina’s career in entertainment began early. She studied dance for ten and a half years, performing modern ballet, tap and jazz in several companies throughout New York. The moves she learned would become part of her signature style when, twenty years ago, she left the dance stage for the dance floor, spinning records all over New York and Europe. She would become best known for her ten-year run on Fire Island. Lina currently holds a once-a-month residency Party TBS (Throwback Sundays) at NYC’s The Gilded Lily. “I enjoyed a very strong upbringing from very well rounded intelligent Aries women who were all true Rams,” she continues. “They taught me to be confident in who I am.” Lina Bradford is a trans woman but she does not define herself by it. “I’ve never done labels. I’ve only worn them,” she says. People are drawn to Lina because of the essence she projects, one of love and light. “I’m an Aries. I’m optimistic and I love a challenge.” While In The Dollhouse, Lina enjoys bringing out new sides of her guests that fans don’t normally get a chance to see. With Candis Cayne, she reminisces about growing up together in the legendary nineties New York scene. In her interview with Janet Mock, a transgender rights activist and author of the New York Times bestseller “Redefining Realness”, Lina manages to tap into Mock’s edge-y comedic side. “People tend to think Janet is always very straightforward and serious but in my interview, viewers will witness a wicked sense of humor!” It’s the reason hoards of viewers tuned into the first season of In The Dollhouse with Lina. The show offers Lina, her guests, and viewers too, a rare chance to revert back to a childhood when shaking the Magic 8 Ball, embracing imagination and playing with dolls was acceptable and encouraged. “My show brings us back to our carefree days… if only for ten or fifteen minutes.” In The Dollhouse With Lina is free at http://djlina.com.Follow on Facebook @DJLina.

I met Kim earlier this year and was super intrigued at how she started her website forharriet.com as a freshman at Harvard and is thriving today tackling really important issues and hitting MAJOR lists like Forbes 30 under 30 in media. Books Kim mentioned every black woman should own: Redefining Realness – Janet Mock All About Love – bell hooks Black Feminist Politics When Chickenheads Come to Roost In Search of Our Mother's Gardens

Welcome to Emerging Women’s Grace & Fire podcast where we hear from the brilliant women leaders creating big change in the world. I’m Chantal Pierrat, your host, and I can’t wait to dive in to this week’s conversation with the fabulous Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness and host of the weekly culture show SoPOPular! on MSNBC. Janet and I talk about her story as a “blueprint for life” for a young black trans person of color, how she defines courage, and what’s inherently bizarre about binary gender norms. We consider the power of “discussing things we pretend we’re too smart to like,” like trashy tv shows and celebrity gossip. And Janet just nails it down when I ask her what vision she has for those of us who are no longer willing to compromise what we know to be true on the inside in order to maintain the mask we put on for survival. Hells yes. Let’s get to it - this week’s Grace & Fire podcast “Redefining Realness” with the brilliant and beautiful Janet Mock. Subscribe to the Emerging Women podcast on iTunes. And please be sure to rate us while you're there!

This week POI welcomes bestselling author and trans rights activist, Janet Mock. Janet is the author of the new memoir Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More, which recounts her emotional and physical transition from an infant sexed male at birth in Hawaii in 1983, to a young woman in New York City.   Some traditionalists accuse trans activists of playing games with language when they insist on the right of trans people to be called by their preferred pronouns and to be treated as real members of their self-identified gender. Traditionalists claim that anatomy at birth is the only "real" litmus test of gender, despite the empirical evidence calling that simplistic formulation into question.    Trans activists and allies are throwing the burden of proof back on the claimant. Why should the traditional ideology of gender take precedence over the lived experience of trans people?    It's great to be skeptical of ideas that are obviously dubious, like astrology or Bigfoot. But skeptics should also use their critical thinking skills to scrutinize divisions that seem intuitive and natural, especially in face of evidence that old social norms aren't working, or are causing unnecessary suffering. We still live in a culture that would rather discard trans people than grapple with the challenge they pose to the traditional conception of gender, but activists like Janet Mock are trying to change that. 

This week we talked to Janet Mock and Aaron Tredwell about their love (a story so goddamn sweet it gave us goosebumps), about what happened when Janet told Aaron she was trans, and why she decided to share her story with the world. A lot has happened since this interview. Janet has published her memoir Redefining Realness. You should get it. You can also listen to Janet and Aaron be sickeningly cute (good sick) on their podcast, The Missing Piece. Music this week: Madrid - "Out to Sea" (Ulrich Schnauss remix) Blondfire "Pretty Young Thing" Angel Miller "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Allo Darlin' "My Heart is a Drummer"